News & Events

Moon Community Access Television is offering a free training session this winter for anyone interested in learning the basics of television production and volunteering at the station.

This series of hands-on classes will provide an overview of camera operation, audio and lighting and an introduction to editing. The training session is open to residents of any community and consists of four cumulative classes. Upon completion, participants are ready to assist with any MCA-TV program.

The fall training session will be held at the MCA-TV studio, 1700 Beaver Grade Road, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the following Mondays:

• Jan. 23
• Jan. 30
• Feb. 6
• Feb. 13

To register, please call 412-269-1191 or email mca-tv@moontwp.com.

For the 14th year, Moon Community Access Television is inviting Pittsburgh-area nonprofits into the studio to promote their cause during a two-day marathon of live television interviews.

MCA-TV has set the dates for Public Awareness Weekend 2012, which runs from 1 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 23, and continues from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, March 24.

Public Awareness Weekend gives charitable organizations the opportunity to inform viewers about their mission, services, and volunteer opportunities during a 30-minute live interview. MCA-TV reaches more than 20,000 households in Moon Township and surrounding communities on Comcast channel 14 and Verizon FiOS channel 35.

Nonprofit organizations interested in participated in this year’s Public Awareness Weekend should contact the studio at
mca-tv@moontwp.com or 412-269-1191.

At its first public meeting of the New Year, the Moon Township Board of Supervisors reorganized for 2012 by appointing a variety of township officials and representatives to its citizen advisory bodies.

The board to appoint Supervisor Marv Eicher, an eight-year board member, as board chairman, and Supervisor Andy Gribben as vice chairman for 2012.

For the position of township solicitor, the Pittsburgh-based law firm Babst, Calland, Clements and Zomnir, P.C. was reappointed for a second year. The board also retained Michael Baker as township engineer, L.R. Kimball as traffic engineer and Garvin, Boward, Beitko Engineering, Inc. as geotechnical engineer.

A number of township residents also were appointed to township citizen advisory bodies ranging from the Planning Commission to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board. Visit the boards and committees web page to find the names of the new appointees.

Following reorganization, the board welcomed newly-elected Supervisor John Hertzer at the January regular meeting. Supervisor Andrew Gribben also took the oath of office as he returns to the board for a six-year term he was elected to in November.

The board will continue to hold its monthly regular meetings at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. Monthly Workshop meetings will continue to be held at 6 p.m. on the last Wednesday of each month. All public meetings are held at the Moon Township Municipal Building, 1000 Beaver Grade Road.

In a holiday edition of its yard waste collection program, the Moon Township Public Works Department will offer live Christmas tree curbside pickups from Jan. 3, through Jan. 13. Pickup will follow residents’ regular garbage collection schedule Monday through Friday.

Pickups will not take place on Monday, Jan. 2, because of the holiday. Residents with Monday garbage collection can participate in Christmas tree pickups on Tuesday, Jan. 3, that week.

During the weekend of Jan. 14 and Jan. 15, residents also can drop off Christmas trees at the Downes Fire Station composting site located at the intersection of Beaver Grade and Ewing roads. The drop-off site will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Please remove all ornaments and decorations, and place trees at the curb line by 8 a.m. on pickup day. Artificial trees will not be accepted. Trees collected through the program will be chipped and reused for future landscaping projects around the township.

The Moon Township Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 at last night’s Workshop Meeting to approve Moon Township’s final 2012 Budget, which maintains flat tax rates and the full range of municipal services.

Moon Township’s 2012 property tax rate remains at 3.28 mills, which includes a .2-mill fire tax to fund equipment and training costs for the Moon Township Volunteer Fire Company. The township’s 2012 General Operating Budget totals to approximately $11.4 million to fund services ranging from parks and recreation and planning to police and fire protection.

An additional $1.389 million will be transferred to the township’s capital reserve fund for 2012 capital projects including the summer road resurfacing program. The 2012 budget will be available online at www.moontwp.com.

“The 2012 budget is a result of more than smart spending choices for the year ahead. It’s the result of years of effective financial planning that the board and staff have made an ongoing priority,” said Jim Vitale, chairman of the Moon Township Board of Supervisors. “With many families and governments facing tough spending choices this year, we’re proud to pass a full-service budget that won’t impact the household budgets of our residents.”

With its 2012 spending plan in place, the Board of Supervisors will continue laying the groundwork for the New Year by appointing board, staff and other administrative positions at its annual Reorganization Meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, at the Moon Township Municipal Building, 1000 Beaver Grade Road.

The Moon Township Board of Supervisors at its Dec. 7, regular public meeting approved the township's 2012 Bond Issue, which resulted in lower-than projected interest rates and substantial savings for the township.

The township took advantage of historically low interest rates to refinance approximately $8.2 million from the township's only two outstanding bonds for a savings of $554,000 on its debt service. With a lower cost to borrow, the township leveraged the savings to issue an additional $2.5 million in new bonds to finance long-term capital improvements – such as major building repairs and park improvements – over the next three years.

Previous bond issues, for example, have financed construction of the township's salt storage facility as well as the new Moon Park baseball field, tennis courts and other Phase I park improvements.

The township's Dec. 7, bond sale follows Standard & Poor's affirmation of the township's high AA credit rating, which garnered competitive interest rates in the market. At the board's Dec. 7, regular meeting, the township's bond advisor Janney Montgomery Scott LLC reported that the morning's bond sale resulted in an average interest rate of 3.398 percent over the 20-year life of the 2012 bond series.

"Moon Township's successful bond sale is a positive reflection on the township's financial stability amid a difficult credit climate for local governments across the country," said Jeanne Creese, Moon Township Manager. "Low interest rates combined with our strong credit rating made it the ideal time to secure a highly competitive interest rate for long-term investment in our community."

The 2012 bond series, which totals to approximately $10.7 million, allows the township to borrow the additional money without increasing its annual debt service payment and extends the life of the bond by only five years.

Both of the refinanced bond series exceeded the 2 percent savings benchmark recommended for bond refinancing. The refinanced 2005 and 2006 bond series yielded savings of 5.18 percent and 8.93 percent respectively.

Moon Township welcomed Marissa Gerkey to the position of Moon Township Planning Director this month.

Ms. Gerkey brings six years of community planning experience to Moon Township. In her most recent position, Ms. Gerkey served as assistant planning director for the Crawford County Planning Commission where she specialized in community and economic development, zoning and comprehensive land use planning.

“I am very excited to join Moon Township and look forward to working with the township’s staff, officials and community members,” Ms. Gerkey said. “With the township’s Comprehensive Plan Update underway, this is a perfect opportunity to begin my new role by contributing my own skills and perspective to the plan while learning about the community in the process.”

A graduate of Elmira College in New York, Ms. Gerkey earned bachelor’s degrees in both International Studies and Political Science. Ms. Gerkey also is completing coursework toward a Master of City and Regional Planning at Pratt Institute of Brooklyn, New York. Ms. Gerkey is a member of the American Society of Highway Engineers and a member of the Pennsylvania Planning Association where she serves on the state’s Professional Development Committee.

Gerkey replaces former Planning Director Adam McGurk, who left his position in April to relocate to New York City.

For a meaningful gift this year, consider honoring a friend or family member with an engraved brick in the Moon Township Memorial Garden walkway. Bricks are available for $65 for an engraved 4x8" brick or $200 for an 8x8" business brick.

Engraved bricks will be placed in the walkway circling the September 11 Memorial and memorials honoring Moon Township's public safety professionals and military service members.

Donations support the Moon Township Memorial Fund for continued development of this public memorial space. Find order forms and details here.

The New Year will introduce new withholding and collection procedures for Earned Income Tax across the state of Pennsylvania. Beginning January 1, 2012, all employers will be responsible for withholding local EIT from employee paychecks. Both employees and employers can prepare for the transition by learning more about Pennsylvania’s Act 32 with one of the flyers below:

Act 32 for Employees
Act 32 for Employers

Know the Code to Moon Township
Under Act 32, employees will be responsible for submitting to their employer a Residency Certification Form to ensure that their taxes are paid to the municipality and school district that provide services in their community. To complete the form, employees will need the six-digit Political Subdivision Code identifying their place of residence. Moon Township’s PSD code is 731102; find a Residency Certification Form completed with the code here.

Submit your views on community development as Moon Township updates its long-range Comprehensive Plan. Take the 2011 Comprehensive Plan survey here. Learn more about the Comprehensive Planning process here.

Permits required for door-to-door solicitations

      Several Moon Township residents were recently affected by a fraudulent soliciting scheme. The Moon Township Police Department would like to take this opportunity to remind residents and solicitors of the Township’s requirements soliciting.

      If someone comes to your door to solicit, you have the right to ask to see their Moon Township Police Department Permit/ID Card. It is gold and color and is signed by the Chief of Police. Additionally, you may also include your residence on the No Soliciting/Peddling List by notifying the Chief of Police in writing. The address is 1000 Beaver Grade Road.

      Any person who goes upon residential property in Moon Township without being invited to do so by the owners or occupants for the purpose of peddling or soliciting must obtain a Soliciting Permit from the Moon Township Police Department. Soliciting and/or peddling includes knocking on doors, ringing doorbells as well as placing door hangers on doors.

      In order to obtain a permit a solicitor must:

1. Obtain a PA State Police Criminal Records Check by logging onto http://epatch.state.pa.us. Solicitors must print the Record Check Certification and bring the “No Record” response to the police department.
2. Fill out a soliciting permit application, which is approved by the Chief of Police.
3. Once the application is approved, the permit can be picked up at the police department. Fees are $5/day per person; $10/week per person; $25/month per person or $75/year per person.
4. The solicitor will also be given a “No Soliciting/Peddling List.” This is a list of residences that have requested that there be no soliciting on their property. It is a violation of the Moon Township Code for a peddler/solicitor to go upon any property on the list.
5. The hours for soliciting are: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. between November 1 and March 31; 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. between April 1 and October 31.

There are exemptions from the registration requirement:

• Children under 18 years of age soliciting on behalf of a non-profit, school or governmental organization.
• Persons soliciting on behalf of a non-profit or neighborhood organization for donations to, or membership in, such organizations.
• Persons going upon property or approaching people to discuss or explain issues, including religious proselytizing, exercising an individual’s freedom of speech or campaigning for political votes that do not include the request for contributions or donations or the sale of goods or products.